1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system, and deals more particularly with methods, systems, computer program products, and methods of doing business wherein executing application programs can use an external statistically-triggered heuristics monitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
When using processor-intensive calculations, it is a standard practice in the industry to provide algorithms for monitoring system performance, where those algorithms are optimized through use of one or more heuristics. Heuristics typically exist as paper algorithms and formulas, and to apply one or more heuristics to a specific application requires individual implementation in an application program. For example, the typical approach is to write native application support code in which statistics are gathered and compared to heuristics within a loop or called routine. This approach is effective, but it has a number of drawbacks. As one example, it is highly implementation-dependent, providing a solution that is tailored to a particular application. Therefore, existing implementations do not lend themselves to being reused among applications. As another example, programmers who provide these application-specific solutions need to write code that assumes an in-depth understanding of complex mathematical calculations, and programmers having such skills are not widely available. Furthermore, a side-effect of complex code is that program development, testing, and support costs increase, and programs tend to be more error-prone.
Yet, many applications can benefit from statistical monitoring which applies heuristics. Accordingly, what is needed is a solution that provides these benefits but avoids the limitations of prior art approaches.